Strikeforce: RWBY
by LastCorsair
Summary: The world of Remnant is under siege from invaders from within and without. A fresh group of pilot candidates is about to start at Beacon Academy. Watch as they take their first steps toward becoming fully-fledged mecha pilots.
1. Trailer: Red

_Ruby's mech slid through the ruined cityscape, sensors tuned to maximum sensitivity, drinking in the moonless night. This was supposed to be a simple recon mission, get in, get the info, and get the info out, one way or another. Ruby might only be fourteen years old, but she hadn't been born yesterday, and there was no way she was dumb enough to believe that this job was as simple as her briefing had made it out to be._

_There, ahead of her, a fading thermal signature. That patch of concrete was notably warmer than its surroundings. Something had rested there for a while, maybe an enemy mech on patrol. She needed a different perspective on things._

_A nearby parking structure would serve nicely. Ruby fired her grapplers upward, hoping the crumbling structure would hold her weight. Moments later, she was lying down on the roof, sensors sweeping the Stygian darkness for signs of her whatever was hunting her._

_Fleeting motion caught her eye, and she focused her sensors there. A pack of Beowolves, with a mech of a type she didn't recognize apparently leading them. Not surprising that she didn't recognize the mech; Salem's forces were always coming up with something new, and this thing's limbs looked… odd. As the enemy mech crossed a roadway, Ruby's breath froze in her throat. If she didn't know better, she would have sworn the thing's limbs were made of Grim. Which was totally impossible while at the same time being kinda creepy-cool. Like zombies. Or cyborg zombies. Yeah, those would be kinda cool._

_Focus, Ruby. Remember the mission. Slowly, so as not to draw attention, Ruby aimed her rifle at the enemy mech. She'd only get one shot at taking it out undetected. Once she did, the Beowolves would be on her in a heartbeat, but they couldn't call for help._

* * *

"I'm surprised she hasn't quit out of boredom," Taiyang remarked as the technician handed another cup of coffee. "Thanks," he said, sipping the still-steaming beverage carefully.

The tech laughed. "That's because you're sitting here, watching your daughter lie down on a table, and us doing incomprehensible things to even more incomprehensible equipment. Let's see what she's seeing." She tapped at the console, and the big monitor sprang to life, showing a devastated city. A highlighted mech stood on top of a building, firing burst after burst as a wave of Beowolves swarmed closer. "A fully-featured military-grade virtual environment. It's to keep her entertained and awake while we see how well she can be interfaced, and for how long."

"Holy crap," Tai whispered, shaking his head. "And they want me to send my little girl off to fight that kind of crap? No fucking way."

"Mister Xiao Long." The doctor closed the door behind him, looking first at Ruby to make sure she was alright, then at the medical monitors to confirm it before looking at the testing logs. "I can appreciate your reluctance, especially given Ruby's age, but trust me, we don't ask these things lightly. Salem's forces are relentless, and we need every capable mind in a mech fighting them."

Tai couldn't help but nod glumly. "Yeah, but… children? As young as Ruby? I'm a schoolteacher, doc. Putting kids in danger like this..." If he'd known what they meant when he got the call asking him to take Ruby back to the testing center for 'extended testing' he'd have told them to fuck off. Repeatedly.

"Most candidates start training at seventeen, already having their implants installed and passed at least the first phase of training. Given your daughter's age, she would be re-tested in a year and the decision made about proceeding further then. So there's still time." The doctor bent over, talking quietly to the technician.

Tai nodded again, his eyes were fixed on the screen as Ruby finished off the Beowolves and made her way down the ruined parking structure and further into the city. "So I don't have to sign her away today, then. There's still time to get out of this."

"Actually, Mister Xiao Long, you can back out up until the first day she enrolls at a pilot's academy, even after she's got her implants in." A tall, thin man with a cane strolled in, holding his hand out to Taiyang. "I'm Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy. And, well, I'm sorry to say once word of how phenomenal your daughter has performed today gets out, every academy on Remnant will be beating on your door, making all sorts of promises if your daughter agrees to attend their academy.

"So I'm going to be up-front about what I'm offering, and I'll put it in writing. A full-ride scholarship to Beacon, implants included. You'd be free to walk away at any time. And, of course, while she's waiting to officially enroll at Beacon, I'll see to her admission to Signal Academy. The headmaster is a friend of mine." Ozpin smiled at Taiyang and took a sip of his coffee.

Tai blinked in bewilderment. Where did the coffee cup Ozpin was holding come from? "I've got two daughters, Mister Ozpin. What about Yang? What do I tell her when she finds out what's being handed to Ruby on a silver platter, hers for the taking?"

Ozpin shrugged. "I checked on your other daughter's test results, and her scores are good enough to ensure she would be accepted at Beacon Academy, assuming she's interested. I think I can even extend her a scholarship as well if not one quite as generous as Ruby's."

So his daughters' futures were assured, just because of what was between Ruby's ears. Maybe he should just bow to the inevitable. "Let's see what Ruby and Yang have to say about this. It's their lives, after all." With that, Taiyang turned back to the monitor, wincing as Ruby's avatar suplexed a Goliath that could have menaced a small tank.


	2. Trailer: White

"Weiss? Where are you? Why aren't you at Whitley's birthday party?"

Weiss moaned into her pillow. "Trust me, father, in my current state, the party is better off without me."

Her father stood next to the bed now, frowning down at her. "Are you ill? I'll call Doctor Watts at once." He started to reach for his scroll, only to have Weiss wave in negation.

"Doctor Watts is fully aware of my condition, and was in here not that long ago." Blearily Weiss lifted her head just enough that she could see the clock on her bedside table. "Twenty minutes, I think, it's rather difficult to read the clock right now." With a sigh of relief, she let her head drop back down on the bed. "And I am not ill. My body and mind are in the process of adjusting to my neural interface implants. Synesthesia, nausea, fatigue, motor control issues, the list goes on. There's a _reason_ for the bucket by my bed, father."

"I don't recall saying you could get those implants, Weiss. And what do you need them for?" Jacques Schnee said, his hands clenched at his side.

"I'm entering training to be a mecha pilot, Father. We've been talking about it for months. And you signed the authorization two days ago." Weiss lifted an arm to wave vaguely toward her desk before letting it fall heavily back on the bed. "Paperwork's over there," she muttered, suddenly exhausted

"Mm." Her father picked up the papers, reading the first page slowly. "So I see. But did you have to do it today? Whitley will be upset you're missing his party."

Weiss suppressed a snort. Her brother would probably be delighted she wasn't there to take jabs at his ego. "I did my research before having them done. Best implants, best surgeon, best facility. And I took the first available slot for the procedure." The fact that it let her miss her brother's party had been a wonderful bonus. Did her clothes have to feel so, so _purple_ though?

"And how long will you be indisposed?" She could hear her father's displeasure in his voice, but right now she didn't care on multiple levels. This was one step closer to her dream, one step closer to her freedom. And right now she was too tired to care about his nonsense.

With a moan Weiss scrambled across the bed, barely reaching the bucket before her stomach started heaving. She retched, and again, four times overall, bringing up nothing but stomach acid. Her hands shook as she reached for the washcloth next to her bed, wiping her lips. Gently she sat up, gesturing toward the pitcher and glass she'd made sure were within her reach. "Water, please. The worst of it should be over in a few more hours. I may even be fit for company, before the end of Whitley's party, if someone can push me in a wheelchair. I would rather not embarrass myself by trying to walk."

Her father poured a glass of water and handed it to Weiss. "I see. Have you made arrangements to attend Atlas Academy yet? If not, I can have a word with General Ironwood. He should be here with his daughter Penny tonight."

Weiss shook her head, immediately regretting it as her head started spinning. "No, not Atlas. Beacon, Beacon Academy. Wanted, wanted to avoid the appearance of your influence being used on my behalf. Acceptance paperwork's with the rest." She collapsed backward, gasping when her still-tender implants hit the bed. Weiss struggled to roll back onto her stomach, flinching at the unexpected contact when her father bent over to help her.

"No, stay in bed and rest. I don't want anything interfering with your recovery. I'll make sure Klein knows to keep an eye on you." Jacques frowned as he remembered something. "When they do the testing to see if you're compatible for neural interfacing, they give you a number, to measure your overall aptitude, don't they? I'm curious to know what yours is."

"A Weller score, yes. Mine was 703, not a record but well above average," Weiss answered, closing her eyes. "Record's held by some girl in Patch, can't remember her name. I'm very tired, Father. I think I'll take a nap."

As she lay there on the bed, Weiss heard the door shut behind her father. _I win_ was her last thought before she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

** And there's Weiss introduced! Next up is Blake!**


	3. Trailer: Black

Blake stumbled through the forest, dizzy from fatigue and blood loss. She rested one arm on a tree with red leaves, the other clutching her stomach where she'd been shot. It had been such a simple thing, when Adam had explained it to them…

Because of a surge in Grimm attacks within the forest of Forever Fall, the Vale military had decided to station mecha at key operations within the forest. And of course, there was no way the Schnee Dust Company was going to let any of their operations go unguarded. So Adam had come up with a plan: Raid the mining camp, grab the mecha, steal any dust they could carry off, and deal as much damage as they could before leaving.

So they'd tested every member of the White Fang they could within Vale, and Blake had topped the list. They'd gotten her implants in some run-down cybernetics clinic that Blake wouldn't have trusted to treat a hangnail, but Adam had insisted. When she woke up back at the White Fang's base, she'd asked about the doctor who'd performed the procedure. Adam's silence was all the answer she needed.

But fate wasn't done toying with her. Moments after they'd hit the camp perimeter, the whole place was on alert. Instead of sneaking past patrols the White Fang had found themselves in a pitched battle with Schnee company security. And of course the mecha that had been Blake's target was manned and waiting for them.

She'd tried keeping her head, down, staying out of the crossfire. Adam had emphasized how important she was, how crucial it was that Blake above all others had to escape. "After all, my love," he'd said as he ran a finger down her jaw, resting it on her chin in a mockery of a lover's caress, "there will be other opportunities to steal a prize such as this. But a pilot of your caliber is much harder to find."

Blake hadn't even seen the trooper that shot her. They probably hadn't even seen her clearly, just firing at random movement in the darkness. Well, this time their panicked fire had paid off. Now Blake was dying, cursing the day she'd first laid eyes on Adam Taurus.

Suddenly she burst into a clearing, and her head swam as she looked around her, trying to figure out where she was headed next. A sudden moment of clarity brought with it the realization that she was on a paved _road,_ and roads meant people, if she could make it to them. Suddenly the idea of going to prison didn't seem so terrible. At least she might be able to face her parents again, tell them how wrong she'd been about, well, about everything.

A noise a flash of light. Blake froze, caught in the headlights of a car. Door slamming open, footsteps rushing toward her. "Are you all right?" The voice, gruff but caring. Then darkness enfolding her, her raw resolve and will to live unable to fight it back anymore.

* * *

She woke, not knowing where she was or really expecting consciousnesses to return at all. The only thing she could see was a white blur, with some brighter white blurs to one side. "Where-?" she asked, or tried to but failed, her throat drier than the depths of Vacuo.

"Easy." An unfamiliar voice, kind and gentle. Something poking between her lips, blessedly cool liquid coursing down her throat. "Don't try to speak, you've been out for a couple of days. You were half-dead when they brought you to me; I'm surprised you could walk."

"Where-" Blake coughed, then tried again. "Where am I? What about the others?"

"You're in my clinic. And I don't know anything about any others, just you." A blur moved between her and the lights, and Blake's eyes fought to find focus. "Listen, I don't pass judgment on anyone, human or Faunus that comes in my door. But you were shot twice, and whoever did your implants did a shitty job on their post-op. They're infected so bad that it might have killed you to try and connect. It sure as hell wouldn't have worked really well." Suddenly the blur resolved itself into a woman with light purple hair smiling down at her. "If I were a spiritual sort of person, I might take that as a sign that it was time to rethink where my life was going. But I'm me and you're you, and sometimes, all you can do is keep moving forward. Now you stay right there, and I'll be back with some broth. If that stays down, we'll see about something more substantial. And no leaving until I say so, doctor's orders."

The woman moved off, and Blake suppressed a laugh. So she was the only one left, was she? What was even funnier, she might not have been able to steal the mecha after all.

Blake smiled and closed her eyes, all four of her ears drinking in the sounds around her.


	4. Trailer: Yellow

The door behind her clanged shut, the sound echoing across the bare concrete of the visitation room. Yang felt a shiver down her spine. She wouldn't have come if her dad hadn't insisted. This was only the third or fourth time she'd actually ever met her mother, and the first time the two of them had been alone in the same room together. Maidens, she would have killed for a cigarette right about now.

The door at the opposite end of the room buzzed, and she looked up to find her mother, Raven Branwen, infamous anarchist, and terrorist, standing there. "Orange is definitely not your color, _mother__."_ The words fell from Yang's lips without thinking, but as opening lines go, it probably wasn't the worst ever. Probably. Maybe.

"Yang. It's good to see you." Raven stepped into the room, lifting her arms. "I don't suppose I could get a hug? I hear mothers are supposed to hug their children, sometimes."

The blonde scowled, turning her head to one side. "Maybe when I leave. For the record, the only reason I'm here is that dad insisted, and bribed me. No manacles this time?"

That drew a laugh. "No, I've been well, 'behaving myself' is probably the best way to put it. The last person to jump me, I only broke her arm. And Taiyang bribed you? He didn't mention that when he said you were coming."

"Yeah." Yang's scowl softened, one corner turning upwards in a small smile. "He offered to pay the storage fees so I could afford to take my motorcycle with me, to Beacon."

Raven blinked. "Motorcycle? I, I didn't know you had one. And, Beacon? As in Beacon Academy, the mech pilots' academy? Yang, please don't tell me you're going there! The things they do to you, to hook you up to those machines-"

Yang's answer was to turn and lift her hair, showing the interface port at the nape of her neck to the mother she'd never known. "Top of the line implants. Me and Ruby got them together, same day. I went to get tested on a bet, so Ruby had to be like her big sis and get tested too. Turns out she's some sort of prodigy, with compatibility scores like nobody's ever seen. She hadn't even finished the second round of testing before somebody was trying to talk Dad into sending her to Beacon. Scholarships for both of us, implants and everything, all because of my little sister's brain."

Her mother dropped heavily on the bench at the table, cradling her face in her hands. "How, how could this happen? Why would Taiyang do such a thing, sentence both of you to death like that?"

"It's not a death sentence, Raven. Yeah, mech pilots fight on the front lines, but they do it with tons of armor and a hell of a lot of firepower wrapped around them." Yang sat down facing Raven and was surprised to see her mother's face wet with tears as she looked up at her. "And, well, even we flunk out, the general curriculum at Beacon is, like five-star. Beacon's even got a special program to help washouts get into another school."

Raven gave a jerky nod. "That-That's good." She drew a deep breath. "Yang, I-I haven't been there for you like a mother should, and I can't ever make up for that, but… I would like to be part of your life, from now on. Will you, will you write to me? I, I've got email privileges now, so it doesn't have to be written letters, but I'd rather have written letters."

Yang pulled back, giving Raven a confused look. "Okay, you haven't given me a goddamn second thought in, what, sixteen years, and now you're looking to be mom of the year? Sorry, that ship has sailed."

"No, that's not it." Raven shivered, looking around them at the visitation room's stark gray concrete walls. "Being in here, it's a special sort of hell. Last week, I was looking through my things in my cell, and I came across an old letter from your father. In there was a picture of you and Ruby, laughing and playing together. Seeing it, something inside me broke. All these years, I stopped thinking about anything outside these walls, but now, now I want out. And I, I need you, and your father, and my brother, I need you to give me something outside to reach for. I'm not asking you to forgive me, but maybe I can earn some forgiveness." She sighed. "Last week I started spilling my guts, telling them everything I remembered about the Shadow Path. It's all old stuff, but maybe it'll help at my next parole hearing. If, if I get out, can I see you?"

Yang leaned back and crossed her arms. "We'll see about the letters. School's gonna keep me pretty busy. The rest, I don't know yet."

"That's more than I could ask." Raven looked up at the clock on the wall. "Now, tell me about yourself, and this half-sister of yours. We don't have a lot of time."

* * *

"Everything cool, sis?"

Yang sighed, not wanting to get up from the grassy hillside she was laying on. "Yeah, Ruby, just… thinking about stuff."

"Raven stuff?" Ruby asked, laying down next to her sister.

"Yeah." Yang sighed. "Sixteen years she ignores me, then all of a sudden she wants to be a mom, you know? Kind of a lot to take in."

"Yeah. Hey," Ruby said, rolling over and propping herself up on an elbow. "Wanna go make cookies? One last batch before we go, maybe even some for the trip. I'll let you pick what kind."

"Deal," Yang answered, sitting up with a laugh. "And snickerdoodle. I want to make snickerdoodles."

"Aw, I was hoping for chocolate chip."

"Hey, you said I could pick..."

* * *

**And with that, the trailers are done! Wow, this trailer ended up being the longest of all, but I sat down to write the scene with Raven and Yang and there it was. There will be a break before the posting of the first full chapter, but I will give you the working title: "A Light in the Darkness"**

**See you there!**


End file.
